This invention relates generally to automatic coffee makers. More specifically, this invention relates to coffee makers that are built into a wall of a dwelling, recreational structure, or vehicle. This invention also relates to self-filling home coffee makers.
Prior art coffee makers suffer from several drawbacks. First of all, most traditional coffee makers require a user to fill a reservoir of the coffee maker with water before operating the coffee maker. This is inconvenient because it generally requires the user to fill a separate container with water and transport it from the water source to the coffee maker. This can also be messy. Water is frequently spilled either when transporting the water to the coffee maker or when pouring the water from the separate container into the coffee maker's water reservoir. Commercial-sized coffee makers are permanently plumbed but have other drawbacks, such as size, that make them undesirable for home use.
An additional problem with prior art coffee makers is that they take up valuable counter space. Coffee drinkers generally prefer to have coffee on a daily basis and, consequently, coffee makers are generally left out on the counter to allow frequent use without the hassle of repeated setup. Unfortunately, this means that the coffee maker is permanently taking up counter space that might be needed for other things. This is particularly troubling in homes, apartments, hotels, offices, motor homes, and boats where counter space is limited or non-existent. Smaller coffee makers have been manufactured to take up less room, but they still take up counter space. Other coffee makers have been mounted under cabinets to free up counter space, but these are generally positioned over the counter and therefore continue to limit the free space above the counter for use in food preparation or for placement of other kitchen devices. Some prior art coffee makers have even been mounted inside cabinets. Although cabinet-mounted coffee makers do not occupy counter space, they instead take up valuable storage space.
The industry has been unable to supply a coffee maker that is ideally space conservative. What is needed, therefore, is a coffee maker that avoids taking up valuable countertop, cabinet, or above-counter space. The industry would also be benefited by a self-filling home coffee maker.